This newsletter is written yearly during most companies budget time to remind you that we are alive, well and always looking for work. It is also an update to our customers and friends who we have met during this milestone of 25 years of ENTERPRISE PROGRAMS service, or the prior ten with GE. Communication is still the key to our programs and service. With your repeat orders, recommendations to other power generation users, and with a lot of you changing locations, this news letter is still about all the advertising that we need to do, thank you! And feel free to share this newsletter. As a sole proprietorship, we need and believe in keeping a close relationship with our clients, their training, maintenance and consulting needs.
This last year has been one of great diversification for all types of maintenance work, training, and locations. Overhauls, steam turbine, combustion turbine, generator and control training were all covered, as was Alaska, Arkansas, California (desert), Hawaii, Las Vegas, Louisiana and Washington State (San Juan Island area). All of these diversifications came in handy as son Greg got senioritis at the end of his college junior year. A good cure for the “why am I in school?” blues is a little work experience at the bottom of the ladder. Thoughts were given to being a mechanic’s helper on the 12 hour night shift at the San Juan MS6 overhauls, but the kid lucked out and he was put on as my assistant. I have been doing the San Juan overhauls for about 10 years, and the customer, crew, GE and I all have an excellent rapport. Over the years I have managed to collect only great customers, this was again proven during Greg’s presences. The customer assigned Greg to the overhaul safety committee, GE showed Greg the job management requirements (the night shift engineer had graduated from college just two years earlier), and the night shift crew pointed out that if Greg had been assigned to their shift, those two legs sticking upside down from under the unit would have been his. Greg started as my assistant, but the running joke by the third unit overhaul was, just who was running the consulting and who was the assistant? By the third unit Greg was taking the photos, completing the report forms and compiling most of the final report. At Arkansas Power Greg observed the first operator LSTG Unit Description class, and then taught the steam seal portion of the second class. And where would any year be without at least one old MK I analog calibration. As I said, it was a good diversification. I can see that if he decides to enter the field, his only adverse condition is the constant travel. Well, the incentive seemed to work as Greg returned to school for the summer session, and is scheduled to graduate next spring after just four years in the college environment.
Daughter Holly is at the University of San Diego studying business, and in this her second year has moved to the party town of Mission Beach “to get away from it all”! No parent is that naive, however we have direct access to the college web site to monitor the grades, and all is well.
Cindy is still the pillar of the house, RV, finances and scheduling.
The Alaska trip was to instruct on my first operator LM6000 course. All went well, as the similarity between the past instruction on the heavy frame units, LM1500 and LM2500 units, is easy to see. Another frame MS7F course is being given as I write this to Entergy Louisiana, and all is well. The end of the year will be spent at Hawaiian Electric instructing separate operator courses on both the steam and combustion turbine units. A combustion turbine maintenance course will also be given to the machinists on the unit that was overhauled during the first of the year. The machinist’s interest in the unit is a testament to the quality of the work that was completed during the forced outage.
As reflected above, it was another great year working with a lot of wonderful customers. Here is to next year and the continuing adventures in the Power Generation Consulting business, and to another 25 years of supplying your needs. The best contact is still through EPRISEPRO@aol.com. Of course you can still phone the office at (949) 249-8783, or even visit! Cell # (for forced outage help-cell is turned off while instructing) (949) 412-3175.
Looking forward to another 25 years of service to all of you in power industry!
